Dalyn DeCree’19 surveys the floor.(Inji Kang’19/Staff)
The CA boys basketball team picked up three more wins, handily beating West Jefferson and West High School, before storming back to shock London in a legendary double-overtime game.
On Tuesday, December 5, Academy hosted West Jefferson in its home opener, and cruised to a 69-45 victory. The Roughriders came out of the gates hot, and had a 3-point lead after the first quarter. But the Vikes stepped on the gas in the second period and never looked back, outscoring West Jeff 58-31 the rest of the way. Senior Addis Boyd led all scorers with 14 points, and juniors Chris Boyle and Dalyn DeCree each added 8 to lead CA.
Academy traveled to West High School for its next game on Thursday, December 7, and hammered the Cowboys, 78-46. The Vikings couldn’t quite put the game out of reach for the entirety of the first half, as they held a 13-point advantage at the break. That soon changed, as CA ripped off a 23-2 run that spanned the entire third quarter, burying the Cowboys once and for all. Boyle and fellow junior Dorrian Moultrie spearheaded Academy’s attack with 16 and 14 points, respectively.
The Vikings rode the momentum from the two blowout wins into their first league game of the season, a clash with London on Saturday, December 9. CA needed two overtimes to complete an incredible comeback, stunning the Red Raiders 67-65 in a game for the ages. Though London jumped out to an early lead, the Vikes, behind 7 points from Moultrie, were able to tie the score at 13 after the first quarter.
But in the second period, it seemed as if London was proving who the better team truly was. The Red Raiders caught fire, racing ahead to a 29-15 advantage, and there looked to be a blowout on the horizon. Academy hit a pair of shots before the break, but still trailed by 9.
After the half, the Vikes tried everything to mount a comeback, but London wouldn’t budge. The teams played to a draw in the third quarter, and the Red Raiders held a 44-35 lead heading into the final 8 minutes.
CA’s suffocating defense, led by junior Hayden Compton, created turnovers and fast break points. The Vikings chipped away at the deficit, and cut London’s lead to 5 with 5 minutes remaining. The Red Raiders desperately searched for an answer offensively, but they remained cold. Meanwhile, after a three from Boyle, Moultrie pickpocketed London’s point guard and made a layup at the other end. All of the sudden, the game was tied with a minute left.
The Red Raiders received a pair of favorable calls and knocked down two free throws to take a 50-48 lead. But the Vikes had an answer. Moultrie bullied his way into the paint and finished at the rim, evening the score with 6.3 seconds to go. London was unable to get a shot off, and the game headed to overtime.
Boyle drained a three to give Academy its first lead since the first quarter, but the Red Raiders responded with 7 unanswered points to take a 57-53 lead with under 2 minutes remaining in overtime. The Vikings looked dead in the water again, but they refused to quit. Senior Ryan Mitchell buried a three, and after London made a pair of free throws, CA had the ball with 13.4 seconds to go, down by 3.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Compton fed Boyd inside, who kicked it out to Moultrie. The sensational point guard launched a game-tying three as the buzzer sounded, and the building went quiet. The shot hit the front of the rim, popped into the air, and fell through. The Academy student section went crazy, as their team had new life once again.
In double overtime, the teams traded buckets, and the score was deadlocked at 63 with under a minute to go. On the ensuing CA possession, Moultrie found Boyle at the top of the key, and he splashed a clutch triple. The Red Raiders responded with a layup to cut the Vikes’ lead to 66-65.
Boyle split a pair of free throws, and London had a chance to tie or win the game. The Red Raiders couldn’t connect on a jumper, and the Vikings closed out a signature win. Moultrie dropped 23 points and Boyle finished with 20, as the pair of juniors delivered heroic performances for their team.
With the spectacular win, the Vikes have moved to 4-0 on the season. They will put their winning streak on the line as they travel to Worthington Christian on Friday, December 15, in a rematch of last year’s District Final.
